Say hello to the roborat

Sanjiv Talwar and his research team from the State University of New York have developed ‘roborats’ with brain implants that can make the rats jump and turn in different directions. This research has triggered a debate on the ethical issues involved. Talwar argues that the rats are not forced to perform specific actions. The technique relies on stimulating the rats’ reward centres in the medial forebrain bundle. Other implants were placed in the somatosensory cortical area, where stimulation comes from right and left whiskers. The rats also had radio receivers plugged into their skulls. They were rewarded when they performed actions in response to stimulation of a whisker. Talwar argues that the rats had control of their movements, despite the pressure from their wanting to be rewarded. He sees the rats as having potential for search and rescue operations, seeking survivors in rubble.

Critics, such as Gary Francione, disagree. Francione, from Rutgers University School of Law, argues that the rats suffer discomfort, and operate under the control of another. Another critic, Gill Langley, notes that the Federal Animal Welfare Act provides no protection for birds or rodents used in experiments in the US.RM,BT